Demountable rim for vehicle-tires.



P. B. BOSWORTH.

DEMOUNTABLE RIM POR VEHICLE TIRES.

APPLICATION v'nLBDBo. 1, 190s.

1,094,052, f Patented A111121, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. B. BOSWORTH.

DBMOUNTABLE RIM FOR VEHICLE TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED :0110.1, 1908,

1,094,052. Patented Apr. 21, 1914i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2.a u ,m

nurrnn srafrns PATENT OFFICE.

'BERCY B. BOSWORTH, -0F AKRDN, OHIO, ASSIG'NOR 4'10 FIRESTONE TIRE a RUBBER COMPANY, 0F AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

DEMOUNTABLE RIM FOR VEHICLE-TIRES.

aeeaoss.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY B. BOSWORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Uhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in De'mountable Rims for Vehicle-Tires, of which the following is without requiring any special tools, have been devised, some of which have gone into extensive use. A somewhat later development of the art has produced a type known as the demountable rim t tire, 4which is characterized by the provision of a metal rim that permanently engages the base or inner periphery of the tire and is itself detachably mounted on the wheel1i1n. It is to this latter type that my present invention belongs; and among the salient objects of the invention are, to provide a simplified and improved fastening device for securing the tire-rim on the wheel-rim with capacity for quick and easy withdrawal; to provide a fastening means which shall strongly and rigidly secure the tire and its rim on the wheel-rim and prevent any movement of the tire-rim relatively toY the wheel-rin'i; to render the operations of applying and withdrawing the tire and tire-rim from the wheel-rim as simple and expeditious as possible; and, generally, to provide an ei'licient and inexpensive construction of the demountable rim type.

The invention will be readily understood when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings showing one practical embodiment thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective elevation, in cnosssection at one end, of a wheel-rim and tire equipped with my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a-pcrspective detail of a modified form of clamp designed to com- Specfication of Letters Patent.

Application led December .1, 1908. Serial No. 465,562.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

bine therewith the chief function of the locklngring shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a crosssectional detail through the parts shown in Fig. 1, with the tirebody omitted, and 'l as of the pneumatic type having a longitudinally split. inner periphery, the baseof the tire, constituted by the inner marginal portions thereof, being permanently engaged with a metaltire-rim 11 herein shown as of the well known clencher form. It should be understood, howeven, that the invention is equally applicable to solid tires, as well as to tire-rims of other specific forms.

12 designates the usual felly of a Wheel, such as that used on automobiles; and. permanently mounted thereon is a metal band 13 constituting what I term the Wheel-rim, in distinction to the member 11, which I term the tire-rim. s The wheel-rim 13 has on one edge,.and preferably formed integral therewith, an outwardly leaning side-flange 14E, while its opposite edge is beveled or in? clined, as shown at 1-5.

Secured at intervals to thelinner face of the tire-rim 11, as by countersunk rivets 16, are a series of shoes 17, which have oppo sitely bevelededges 18 and 19, the former of which is adapted, when the tire-rim is in place, to engage the inclined inner wall of the sideange 14.

20 designates a locking-ring which Amay be made continuous or in sections, as desired, and which has a double-beveled or V-shaped inner face adapted to engaee the inclined edges 15 and 19'of the whee -rim and shoes, respectively, inthe manner clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.4 To secure said lockingring in operative engagement with thetirerim and shoes, I employ a scriesof clamps 21. spaced at intervals around the side of the. wheel, each of said clamps being preferably, and as herein shown, formed with a knuckle 22 at its lower end that seats on a bearingplate 23 secured to the side of the f elly 12 in such a manner that its upper end may` swing freely toward and from the outer `side of the locking-ring. The clamp 21 is secured in place and drawn hard against the outer face of the lockingiing 20 by means of a bolt passing through registering holes in said clamp and the felly. For this purlpose a bolt of` ordinary construction will serve; but l prefer to employ a bolt such as Q4 having a specially formed head Q5 that engages the side of the fell y opposite that to which the clamp 21 is implied. By reference to Figs. 4 and it will be seen that. the head 25 of the bolt. has at its upper end a beveled inner edge 26 that directly engages the correspondingly inclined outer wall of the flange 14 of thefwheel-rim 13, and thus. constitutes an abutment and support for the latter on that side of the felly. Preferably, also, the head .of the bolt is extended inwardly, as shown at'27, sufficiently to permit of a countersunk hole Ztl being formed therethrough through `,vvl'ii'ch' an ordinary screw 29- is passed and entered into the folly. 'l` he opposite or threaded end of the bolt equipped with an ordinary nut 30 that, when turned up, engages the outer face of the clamp 2l; and the purpose of the screw 29 is to secure the head of the bolt to the side of the felly and thus prevent any tendency of the bolt to slide-out of place when the nut 30 is loosened, as in withdrawing the tire.

To assemble the parts, the tire with its demountablo rim 11 secured thereto, and lwith the shoes 17-securcd to the inner face of said rim, is applied laterally over the free or non-tlanged edge of the wheel-rim 13. The locking-ring 20 is then set in place, the clamps 21 are then applied over the projecting threaded ends of the bolts :24 and seated in their bearings .23 with their free ends lying against the outer face of the locking-ring 20, and the nuts 30 are then applied and turned up tigl'itly. This operation cause the ring 20 to be forced between the oppositely beveled edges 15 and 19 of the wheel-rim and shoes, tending to spread the latter apart, as also to force the oppof site beveled edges 18 of the shoes 17 hard against the inner inclined wall of the liange 14. ln this waff and by this means the tirernn 1s strongly and rigidly securedon the wheel-run as; tI lateral movement relatively to the .latter and without requiring:

the use of bolts or other like mechanical fastenings between the two.

In practice the beveled inner sides of the locking ring are disposed approximately at right angles to each other. It is not the purpose to give to the locliingring the function of a Wedge, such it might have were the beveled sides disposed at a relatively nar row angle to each other, because, when so formed, the ring would stiel; objectionably and be dillicult of removal. rl`he relative inclination of its beveled sides is such, however, as to have the above-described action, but without producing any wedging effect to the extent of causing it to stick between the wheel-rim and the shoes when the clamping devices have been released.

To remove the tire and its rim, it is necessary only to withdraw the nuts 8O and clamps El, which permits the removal of the locl ing-ring 2O and thus leaves the shoes 1.7 and tire-rim free to slip off the beveled edge of the wheel-rim.

ln Figs. 6 and 7 l have shown how the slices 17 may serve an additional function as a cleat to unite the twin sections 3l and 3Q of a longitudinally split rim; the latter being herein shown as having outwardly curved side-flanges instead of being of the vclencher type; but so far as the utilization4 of the shoes 17 as alineans for rigidly con necting the twin sections of the rim is (1oncerned, of course the particular character and .form of the-rim is immaterial. ln this construction, the shoe 17 is secured to the rim sections in a manner to be remlilyie movable, by screws 33.

lf preferred, the clamps may he in form so as to combine also the function of the locking-ring when located oplwsite the shoes 17; and in Fig. 2 l have illustrated such a modification in which the upper edge of the clamp 34 is formed with an integral double-beveled lateral extension 35 that directly engages the beveled edges 15 and 19 of the vehicle rim and shoes 17, respectively. In practice, however, l prefer to employ the locking-ring 9.0 in combination with the clamps 21, since said locking-ringl also constitutes a seal or closure preventing the introduction of dirt between the wheel and tire rims.

YWhile I have shown the eoiiperating inclined faces of the locking-ring and wheelrim straight or flat and disposed at right m o di tied =angles, yet it will` be evident that the particular angularit'y or cross-sectional form of the undercut eotiperating surfaces is immaterial, so long as the purposes and results of the invention are subserved.

l claim:

l. The combination with a, wheel-rim ha ving a flange ou one edge, of a demountable tire-rim having a plurality of separated transversely disposed shoes on its inner face eugagine said flange at one edge, the adiacent. opposite edges of .said wheel-rim and I shoes being undercut toward each other, a

locking member engaging opposed undercut edges of said wheel-rim and shoes, and means for forcing said locking member between said undercut edges comprising a lever, a ledge on which said lever is fulcrun'ied, and means for applying pressure to the lever, substantially as described.

Q. The combination with a wheel-rim. having a flange on one edge and beveled on its opposite edge, of a demountable tire-rim having a separately formed shoe on its inner l'aee engaginT said flange at one edge and beeled on its opposite edge, means tor seein-ing the slice to the tire rim, a donble-bev eled member engaging the opposed beveled edges of said wheel-rim and shoe, and means l'or forcing said double-beveled member between said beveled edges comprising a lever, a ledge on which said lever is Ytulcrumed, and means vfor applying pressure to the lever. substantially as described.

The combination with a wheel-rim having an outwardly inclined flange on one edge and beveled on its` opposite edge, of a demountable tire-rim having on its inner face a shoe formed with beveled side edges one of which engages said flange, a double-beveled member engaging the opposed beveled edges of said wheel-rim and Shoe, the engaging surfaces of said member being disposed atapproximately right angles to each other to prevent wedging thereof, and securing means for said double-beveled member comprising` a lever, a ledge on which said lever is fulcrnmed, and means :for ap plying pressure to the lever, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a felly and a wheel-riimcthereon having an outwardly inclined 'liange on one edge and beveled on its opposite edge, of a demountable tire-rim having on its inner face a shoe formed with beveled side edges one of which engages said flange7 a double-beveled member engaging the opposed beveled edges ol said heel-rim and shoe. and a lever clamp having at its inner edge a knuckle ulerumed in a complementary ledge on the side et' the telly and at .its outer edge overlying the outer side of said double-beveled member. and means for applying pressure to said lever, substantially as described.

In a wheel7 the eonibination ol a wheel rim having a retaining flange at one edge, a den'iountable tire rim adapted to fit on said wheel rim and engage said retaining flange, and means for securing the tire rim in place comprising a retaining portion engag ing the wheel and tire rims at the edges thereof opposite to the flanged edge of the wheel rim, and a lever clamp coperatively associated with said retaining member having at its inner edge a portion fitting aV complementary ledge on the side of the wheel, substantially as described'.

C. The combination of a tire 'holding rim. a folly, means secured to said felly and adapted to engage c1-surface of said rim ,at one side7 ledges on the side of said folly,

a plurality of clamping levers fulcrumed on said ledges and means for applying prese sure to said levers.

PERCY B. BOSWORTH.

Witnesses SAMUEL N. Pone, ALLEN lll. Moonr.. 

